Breaking The Ice
by PhoebeSnow
Summary: Sara blinked several times in an attempt to act normal, as if Leonard's closeness wasn't affecting her, but it was. He was so close, so very close. All she would have to do was lean forward, pull his hand away from her own and press her lips to his. It wouldn't even take five seconds...Whoa. Where the hell did that come from?
1. It Takes Two Hearts To Bond

Sara was having a nightmare and in it, she was drowning. Unfortunately, this nightmare was a regular occurrence since the Queen's Gambit crash and her resurrection from the lazarus pit.

In her nightmare, Sara could feel the coolness of the water as it covered every inch of her body. She was desperate, thrashing this way and that, trying to escape the water. If only there were dry land, something she could stand on and push herself up with...but she was too weak. Sara was so deep in the water and it was so blue, so dark, that she could barely see. Her lungs felt like they would burst due to the pressure and the strain on her as the liquid forcibly entered her mouth, ears, eyes and nose. Sara was trapped and she could feel her life draining away.

Just as the final ebbs of her life were being drowned out, a voice called out to her. Sara's eyelids were so heavy she couldn't even look up to see who it was. Her whole body was terribly cold and numb. Still, the voice called her again and a hand reached out to her, grasping her own lifeless one. The hand pulled her up out of the water and onto dry land.

It was at this moment that Sara finally awoke from her dream. She cried out loudly, her voice screeching and at the same time, guttural and low. Sara gasped and panted, holding her hands to her throat as she tried desperately to get her bearings. She wasn't back at home in Star City. She was on Rip Hunter's time ship, the Waverider, in the quarters that she and Kendra shared as roommates.

"Oh, God...it wasn't real. It was just a dream. You're okay. You're safe."

Sara rubbed her arms and rocked back and forth on her bed. Her forehead touched her knees and she breathed evenly, trying to calm her nerves. Ever since the horrifying moment she had been swept away from Queen's Gambit, she'd had frighteningly realistic dreams about drowning. Sara used to get that dream all the time, even after joining the league, but she hadn't had it for a while.

Only after she was resurrected in the lazurus pit, and her soul restored, did the nightmare begin again. Every time it came to her, Sara would wake up gasping and panting as if she really were drowning. Then she'd struggle to keep her emotions in check and do her best to keep her reaction muted. She wouldn't want Kendra to awaken and hear her crying.

Sara did consider the woman a friend, but Sara wasn't the kind of person who felt comfortable revealing her inner turmoil and feelings to someone so easily. Before Lian Yu and the League of Assassins, Sara definitely could have been more open, for sure. But now, she was damaged and filled with a bloodlust that she couldn't satiate. She had a harder time trusting people. It had been a difficult year for Sara, and even though the burden she carried grew lighter every day, she still had some barriers that she couldn't break.

Every day was a constant struggle for her. Every morning that she woke up, Sara wondered if she was going to finally snap and go mad, fatally wounding one of her teammates. She wondered how long she could be an asset to the team before she compromised it. She needed to feel wanted and she couldn't do that in Star City. She was changed irrevocably. She didn't belong there anymore, but here, with the team, with the mission, Sara could feel like she was making a difference and not just trying to hopelessly pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Here, on this ship, helping Rip and her teammates, she had a purpose, a chance to do something good for mankind.

Sara was relieved when her heart rate began slowing to a steady pace and she touched her chest just to confirm it. The slow, steady beats that reverberated under her skin made her breathe a sigh of relief and she lay back down on the bed, twisting to her side.

It was then that she sat up quickly and glared at the shadow standing just inside her room. Regardless of waking up from a nightmare or not, Sara's senses were still honed perfectly and she was alerted to the presence of an unwelcome visitor. Her spine stiffened and her eyes squinted in annoyance. Sara never did like snoops.

"Who is it?" She asked, with barely restrained anger.

The figure stepped forward and revealed himself to be Leonard Snart. Sara sighed, crinkling her eyebrows and crossing her arms in mild irritation. She should have figured he'd be walking around at this time of night. Leonard was one of the people on the team who didn't sleep so easily on the ship, same as Sara.

Leonard walked with an air of ease and laziness, as he always did and he stood by Sara's bed, looking down at her with that indifferent facial expression he was so good at making. Sara gave him her best disapproving glare, but, as per usual, it didn't affect him in the least.

"I heard screaming, so I came to check up on you."

Sara's brow furrowed and she cocked her head at him. That was...odd. Leonard Snart actually wanted to see if she were okay?

"How sweet. I didn't even know you cared, Leonard. It's nice to see that some leopards can change their spots."

Leonard just eyed her with a smirk. "Don't be too sure about that. I just wanted to make sure you weren't strangling Kendra in her sleep."

"If I should strangle anyone, it would be you since you're in my room uninvited."

"Ah, so if I get an invitation, you'll let me in without question? That's pretty generous of you, Sara."

It was making Sara uncomfortable with Leonard standing so close to her. The way he said her name, so soft and genuine, made her stomach flop. This made no sense at all. Was it her imagination or had he looked at her lips when he said that?

"Your words, not mine. What do you really want?"

"Like I said, I wanted to make sure you weren't hurting anyone in here. I suppose Kendra can take care of herself, but seeing as how you nearly killed her the last time you guys were sparring..."

Sara didn't like how Leonard brought that up. She still was ashamed of the way she behaved towards Kendra. If Leonard hadn't pulled her away from Kendra, she would have killed the woman, which was not something she needed. Sara was grateful to Leonard for holding her back when the bloodlust tried to overtake her, but now he was using it to tease her and Sara was not in the mood to be teased.

"That was one time. It won't happen again. I just..."

She faltered, unsure of how to explain the rage that went through her body in that moment when she choked Kendra. That scared her, the idea that she could kill one of her teammates so easily and heartlessly, without being able to control herself. It made her feel weak and not whole. It hurt Sara's pride. These were too many things to tell Leonard, too many intimate things, and Sara was not about to share them, no matter how much he'd try to goad her into telling him.

"You don't have to explain. I get it."

Leonard sat down on the edge of Sara's bed and turned to get a better look at her. His eyes were intense and probing. Sara sincerely hoped that he couldn't hear the slight tremble in her breath. Her hands moved over her stomach and she entwined her fingers, giving off the impression that his close proximity didn't bother her, that she could still relax with him being so near.

She decided the safest way of responding was with playful banter. "You get it? How would you know? I'm sure that no one has ever held you off from beating anyone to death. Or freezing them to death anyway."

She hadn't intended on using an ice joke, but it just sort of came out. Leonard snorted lightly and shook his head. He obviously didn't expect to hear that joke either.

"How about we leave the cold jokes to me? I would know the best ones, after all."

Sara fought back the urge to coo in pleasure after hearing Leonard's trademark drawl. She shrugged and replied, "Fair enough."

"Good. Now as far as being held back from killing...no, that's never happened, except when the Flash stopped me. Central City's hero and a gigantic pain in my ass. You'd think that he stops so much crime, he would decide to take a day off."

Sara chuckled. She had a lot of experience when it came to reading people and she knew that he wasn't in earnest about the Flash. She gave Leonard a little smile and poked his knee.

"You talk about him like you hate him, but you sound like you admire him."

"Hmm. The jury is still out on that. We have an...understanding."

Sara shrugged. "Whatever you say, but you haven't answered my question."

Leonard sighed and looked off as if he were recalling a memory from years past. Sara used this moment as her chance to steal little glances at him. She had begun noticing things about Leonard when he was deep thought. He would usually say something sarcastic and mock the situation or he would give his unbiased and typically cold - pardon the pun - opinion. Those blue-green eyes of his would steel and his jaw would be set. His whole manner was like this, though, but Sara could see that Leonard had a warm heart. Whether he denied it or not, he definitely had his moments.

Leonard Snart was the type to reveal himself when he was alone with one person, not in a crowd of people. He had a reputation and he wasn't the kind of man who would willingly give anything about himself away unless in extreme circumstances. That was something Sara could truly relate to. It was also what made her more partial to him over her other teammates. They had a mutual understanding which made their relationship, friendship, whatever this was between them, work.

"When you want to kill someone, you get to a place where you can't see anything else but what you want. It drives you, like an invisible force. Your rage feeds it. Everything negative inside you feeds on it until, one day, you snap. Then it's all over, but that rage and hate is still in you. It's just dormant and you have to focus on other things. It's a bloodlust that you can't control and never really get rid of. I know because that's the same way I felt about my father."

Sara's eyes lowered as Leonard looked at her. She didn't know what to say about that. She had known that Leonard killed his father a little over a year ago, but that was all. He never mentioned his father around any of their teammates, not that Sara would have expected him to. Leonard Snart was a very private man. He kept his life to himself, which you'd think would be hard when living on a ship with six other people, but he managed. That's what Captain Cold did best. He managed, like Sara, but deep down inside, there was a hailstorm of frustration and agony that might never be fully healed. Once again, Sara felt that she and Leonard were two sides of the same coin. Dammit. There she was, feeling a bond between them again.

"Sorry." It was all she could say, after all, what could one say after that?

He waved his hand as if to dismiss her sadness for him. "It was over and done with long ago. My sister and I aren't under his thumb anymore, so I'm fine with that."

Fine, in Sara's book, was code word for freaked out, insecure, neurotic and emotional. I.e. He was **not** okay, but Sara didn't bring it up. She had her own demons and her own battles to fight, just as much as he did. Whether they wanted to bs each other or be honest didn't really matter. They both knew what was under the surface and they needed no words to express that mutual understanding.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while. After several minutes, Leonard spoke up.

"You know, normally, when a woman and I would be alone for this long a period of time and neither of us were speaking, it'd be because our mouths were doing something else~"

Leonard was teasing of course, but that didn't stop Sara from scoffing. He always had to say something sarcastic or inappropriate. Classic Captain Cold.

Although Leonard got on Sara's nerves considerably, she was secretly glad and - if she were honest with herself - very proud that she was the one person that Leonard could talk to on such a level - of course he had Mick, but everyone knew that he wasn't a guy who indulged in personal confidences. It implied a trust and respect between them that she knew was not there at the beginning when Rip recruited them months ago. Sara valued that connection she and Leonard shared. It didn't change the fact that did get on her nerves sometimes, alhough he was nowhere near as bothersome as Rip could be.

"Well, you're just out of luck, Snart." Sara reverted to using Leonard's last name on purpose to see his reaction, but he just raised an amused eyebrow briefly before resuming that same indifferent facial expression he always wore. It took a lot to faze him.

"And here, we were on such good terms. You really know how to pick at a guy, Lance. You're as cold as ice."

Sara burst out laughing and immediately covered her mouth in a futile attempt to stifle her attack of the chuckles. The joke wasn't even that funny, to be honest, but she was just in a good mood. Leonard's presence usually did tend to made her feel better. Sara looked over at Kendra, who stirred slightly in her sleep but made no signs that she was awake. Still, Sara kept laughing. The sound made its way past her lips and she tried in vain to keep from being too loud. This was ridiculous. Sara had never been this giggly before.

Suddenly, a hand covered her mouth and Sara blinked and jumped in surprise at the action. Sara's stomach flopped again as her laughter was quickly silenced and she stared into those intense blue-green eyes. Leonard simply stared back into hers.

"You don't want to wake the whole ship up, do you?" He whispered in a hushed voice.

Sara blinked several times in an attempt to act normal, as if Leonard's closeness wasn't affecting her, but it was. He was so close, so very close. All she would have to do was lean forward, pull his hand away from her own and press her lips to his. It wouldn't even take five seconds.

 _Whoa. Where the hell did that come from?_

Sara needed control of this situation and fast, before she really did kiss Leonard, and who knows what would happen if she did that?

"I'm exhausted," was all she could get out. She kept from looking into Leonard's face this time. Those eyes would likely haunt her in her dreams tonight, anyway.

Leonard raised an eyebrow at her, but he didn't hesitate to respond.

"Well, that's a new experience for me. Definitely the first time a woman has kicked me out of her room after no physical contact. You're going to upset the status quo if you keep that up, Sara."

Sara rolled her eyes and slipped her hands under her blanket, pulling it up to her chest. The way her name rolled off his tongue, as if he were sampling it, made her knees quiver. That damn sexy drawl of his would be the death of her, she was certain of it. "And it won't be the last time either. Good night, Leonard."

He smirked again and leaned closer to her, so their lips were nearly touching. Sara's eyes widened and she did her best not to gulp in surprise or succumb to the moan that was lodged in her throat, eager for escape. What was wrong with her? She wasn't attracted to Leonard...right? Involuntarily, Sara's eyes gazed at Leonard's lips and she licked her lips. Damn. She was in trouble. Those lips were tantalizing...

In a harsh whisper, she hissed, "What the hell are you doing?"

Leonard's eyes were unreadable as his hands reached forward...and tucked the blanket under Sara's body. He did this until he had covered every inched of her, then he pulled back, smirk still present on his face.

"Just wanted to make sure you were nice and comfortable. The nights can be pretty chilly on this ship. Good night, Sara."

In an uncharacteristic show of affection, Leonard squeezed Sara's hand and sauntered off. When the door to her room slid shut, Sara breathed a heavy sigh of relief. A small smile spread on her lips as she realised that Leonard was right. She was indeed, very comfortable. Living on this ship with him, though, listening to his jokes, swapping barbs with him every day, that made Sara really comfortable. Too comfortable. Oh, well. She would handle it.

She would hide her feelings as best she could and try to stay neutral whenever Leonard came around. It was the only way she could keep from not getting herself lost in those eyes of his or kicking his ass, whichever worked.

As Sara slid back under the covers, she realised that, for the first time in years, she wasn't afraid to go back to bed. Another startling revelation was that Sara had finally recognised the voice of the person who called to her in her nightmare, as well whose hand pulled her out of the water. It was a calloused hand that Sara had gripped on a few occasions, but there was no doubt about it. The voice and the hand belonged to Leonard.

He was there when she was asleep, trying to wake her up. Even now, minutes after he had gone, Sara still felt the pressure of Leonard's hand on hers. It felt good to have him touch her so intimately like that. What a terrible liar. He actually did care.

 _'Points to Leonard,'_ Sara thought dreamily as sleep took her.


	2. Sparring, Kisses and Bets

**Author's Notes:**

 **My skill when it comes to writing fight scenes is very bad. I probably should have watched Karate Kid or something before typing this up but I wanted to finish this story for my Instagram friend, SmileyxComics, who this chapter is dedicated to by the way. She requested it, so this goes to out to her. Congrats on Caity Lotz liking your Captain Canary picture, by the way! You guys should follow her and her Captain Canary page on Instagram. She's awesome!**

 **/smileyxcomics**

 **/captaincanaryy**

 **xxxXxxx**

Sara sat at the kitchen counter eating her normal breakfast that consisted of an omelette, an apple and a glass of orange juice. Even though Kendra tended to be a very good chef and created some inventive and delicious dishes for the team, whether it be for breakfast, lunch or dinner - seriously, the woman could have been a chef - Sara still ate a minimum of the basic food groups. In the league, they didn't believe in indulgence so they ate only the basic necessary meals for nutrition. Sara did occasionally eat junk food from time to time, but not too often. She had to stay physically fit as a vigilante...or was she officially a hero now?

It was a hard question to answer and honestly, Sara would like to think that she was becoming a hero, being a light for other people as Laurel had told her to be before she left Star City to joining Rip Hunter and his quest to stop Vandal Savage. Sometimes, though, it was hard, believing that she could actually redeem herself from her past.

When Sara finished eating, she put her plate in the sink and washed it. Today had been pretty uneventful so far. Rip, Kendra and Firestorm were needed for this particular mission in 1986 Birmingham, Alabama. Sara's skill set was not needed, so she was left in the Waverider with Leonard - Rip said that Leonard's skills weren't needed either, so he obviously didn't need anyone to be robbed, maimed or killed, as Leonard had said sarcastically before.

Sara hated being idle and having nothing to do. Feeling restless was not enjoyable for her. She always needed some kind of outlet to keep her busy, something to keep her relaxed or get her attention. She already sharpened her knives last night and her mind wasn't settled enough to read. The training room would have to suffice.

After quick run to her room to change into a pair of yoga pants, a tank top and some soft tennis shoes, Sara was ready. She put on a pair of fingerless gloves and picked up her bow staff, twirling it in her hands. The moves were fast and striking. Sara whirled around the room with her bow staff, practicing her defense moves.

A good ten minutes or so, she heard slow clapping. Sara paused her training and turned to see who was intruding on her personal time. If she were thinking, she would have asked Gideon to lock the door. Once her eyes settled on Leonard, she scoffed and shook her head. It figures he would show up. After last night, she had a feeling that they would run into each other when they were alone.

Leonard's lips were quirked up in a grin and he stepped closer to her. "Nice job, Sara. I must say, it was a pleasure walking in on you training. I'll have to remember to do it more often."

Sara did her best to ignore the chills that ran down her spine as Leonard's eyes boldly raked over her body. Those damn blue eyes of his were making it hard for her to think straight. A lust of a very different kind began to rouse inside of Sara and she grunted in response, unhappy at how quickly Leonard could rise her desire.

"Or why don't you just join me instead of ogling me." The words came out harsher than she had meant them to. Not her fault. Sara was working hard to ignore the things her brain was screaming at her. There was nothing more she wanted to do at the moment than throw Leonard down and rip his clothes off, but she had to calm down. Maybe inviting him to spar would stave off her more...primal urges.

Leonard raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, looking at Sara with newfound interest and slight surprise. "You want me to fight with you?"

"Sure. Why not? Kicking your ass will be a pleasure." She gave him a smirk that was probably more lustful than humorous.

"Well, that it may be, but I wasn't looking for a sparring match. Not that I'm rejecting the idea. I could be persuaded to spar with you...on one condition."

"Alright, what is it?"

"If I win, I get a kiss."

Sara's breath hitched for a moment and she stared up at Leonard as if he had just told her that he was going to join a Tibetan monastery. "...What?"

"I'll spar with you on the condition that if I win, you give me a kiss. Sounds pretty fair to when I think about it. I didn't intend on fighting you, but since you insist, it'll be on my terms."

That was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. Where were they, in kindergarten? Suddenly, Sara thought he was joking with her and their teammates were going to show up in the training room and laugh, telling her that she had been set up.

 _'Why didn't you just kiss me last night?'_ She almost said, but bit her tongue at the last moment before the words came out.

Sara stood there, staring at Leonard with her brow furrowed and her lips in a grim line. His face was incredibly calm and he had a rather expectant look etched across his features. There was no doubt about it. Leonard was dead serious about this challenge.

Shaking her head, Sara replied, "I accept."

She walked over to the bench and sat her bow staff down. Then, without looking back at Leonard, she pulled off her tank top, leaving her in just a simple, black sports bra.

"You didn't have to do that for my benefit, Sara. I can enjoy the view just fine without you removing your shirt."

The tank top was tossed onto the bench and Sara made a low chuckle. She started circling around Leonard, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. "Sorry, but this is all the skin you're going to see from me, Snart."

"We'll see about that..." Leonard's eyes were intense and smoldering. His words sounded like a seductive promise and she ignored the goosebumps on her arms. Sara waited for the right moment and she moved forward, fist moving forward towards Leonard's face. He deftly blocked the move and swung around to hit her with his other hand. Sara was too fast for him, though and she ducked, twirling around to hit his side.

Leonard grunted and turned, taking a few steps back to recollect himself. Sara just gave him a saucy smirk and waggled her fingers at him in a 'come closer' motion. And come closer he did. This time when Sara's foot moved to connect with his stomach, Leonard caught it with his hand and flipped her so she fell to the ground. The beast inside of her growled and she huffed in surprise.

Sara jumped back up on her feet in less than a second and charged at Leonard full fury, their hands moved in a blur, neither one getting a hit in. Leonard was successfully blocking Sara's moves. Several minutes passed before she backed up to catch her breath. A laugh sounded from her lips. "Well, you're pretty good. Most people can't hold their own against a former league of assassins member."

Leonard smirked at her, cracking his knuckles. "What can I say? I've been practicing."

They both got into fighting stance again and Sara fought hard, desperately trying to win this match. She really wanted to beat Leonard just so she could tease him about how silly his challenge was...even though she did want to kiss him. Badly. Inside, she was fighting her rampant emotions. This sparring session wasn't doing anything to alleviate her feelings either.

Leonard threw a punch which Sara anticipated. She took a step to her left, locked her foot behind his ankle and grabbed his arm, using his momentum against him to flip him onto the ground. She straddled him and gave him a triumphant smile.

After waiting a while to catch their breath, she asked him playfully, "Do you surrender?"

"Oh, definitely. I'd do anything you wanted if I could keep you on top of me for a few minutes longer."

Laughter spilled from Sara's mouth and she shook her head at the man below her. Those blue eyes sparked with intensity and she felt her heart begin to thump wildly inside of her chest. It had nothing to do with their sparring match.

She leaned down so their faces were mere inches apart. "Well, don't say that I can't indulge you just this once..." Then she kissed him. Sara had only intended in giving Leonard a short kiss, but he obviously planned for more than that. His hands gripped her waist and squeezed. Sara moaned and let her fingers entwine with Leonard's, the friction keeping them both in a state of heavy desire.

Leonard rolled her so their positions were reversed and he was on top of her. Ordinarily, Sara wasn't the kind of girl who enjoyed being dominated, but for Leonard, she happily accepted the change. Her hands held on to his waist and he sneaked a finger under the waistband of her yoga pants. He let his forefinger run along the seam and watched her reaction closely. Sara hissed in pleasure and gasped at the feel of Leonard's cold hands on her bare skin.

"God, your hands are like ice. What do you do, soak them in cold water every day?"

"I can't tell you that. It's a trade secret..."

"You are such a-mmph!" Sara was cut off by Leonard's lips as they pressed against hers. He ran his hand over the expanse of her stomach gently, like the gentle caress of a lover. She sighed and sucked in a quick breath when he played with the strap of her bra.

Both of them were breathing heavily and neither one took their eyes off each other. Leonard stroked Sara's collarbone with his hands, tracing her skin and he kissed the spot where her heart resided. Sara mewled and squirmed under his ministrations and whispered harshly, "Len...you had better take me to your room."

"What the hell for? Here's as good a place as any." He kissed her neck, letting his tongue glide over the pulse point on her skin. He massaged her sides so he could keep hearing those lovely moans come from her mouth.

Sara giggled and nipped at Leonard's chin. "Because I would rather not have sex on this mat. I could never train in here again without blushing or laughing and I am not going to explain the reason why to our teammates."

A growl sounded from Leonard's throat. "Damn. That's a good point. Alright, let's go."

After latching his lips onto Sara's neck once more, he pulled back and held out a hand to her. She took it, grinning, and squealed when he picked her up into his arms, bridesmaid style, and carried her off down the hall to his room.

Funny thing was Rip and the others had just gotten back to the Waverider when Leonard carried Sara away. They all were quite startled as Sara's squeals echoed in the hall of the ship. No one spoke for a moment. Then Kendra turned to Jax, Stein and Ray with her palm out.

"I called it! Pay up, guys!"

Rip grumbled about coming up with a no-fraternizing rule for the members of the team. Ray wordlessly reached into his back pocket and handed Kendra a one hundred dollar bill, the shocked expression still on his face. Stein tsked to himself and muttered about never underestimating the hormones of the young.

Jax scowled and handed Kendra his part of the money. "How did you knowing they we're going to hook up while we were gone?"

Kendra counted the money and folded it up with a triumphant smile on her face. "Oh, you'd be surprised what listening to conversations while hiding in a closet will do~"


End file.
